This invention relates generally to the field of retractable golf cart canopy covers for protecting stored golf bags and clubs on a golf cart from rain.
Canopy covers in the past have been utilized to protect golf bags and clubs located in the rear bag storage compartment of golf carts from rain and damp weather conditions. It is well known in the sport that wet golf club grips can hinder the performance of the player and is undesirable.
Generally, retractable canopy covers attach to the back of the cart""s top and to the cart""s frame. The connection to the top is typically made with an extruded channel member that accepts the top edge of the canopy. The connection to the cart""s frame is made using a structural support member that serves as a mounting base for a pivotal frame supporting the canopy that is generally made up from a plurality of U-shaped struts. The base member generally attaches directly to the frame of the cart.
Connecting the canopy cover to the back of the golf cart""s top is often a troublesome task that leads to less than ideal results. Golf cart tops vary significantly in design, making it difficult to develop one connection mechanism that will attach to all of the tops. In addition, the connection generally requires drilling holes in the golf cart""s top to allow the insertion of rivets or screws to hold the extruded channel member in place that receives the top edge of the canopy. If the canopy is removed or replaced with a new design, the original holes look unsightly and devalue the golf cart. The holes can lead to water leaks and promote cracking of the top. The connection to the top is also difficult to seal, often water seeps between the extruded member and the cart top surface and leaks, leading to dripping on the golf bags and clubs stored in the back of the cart. Another disadvantage is that the extruded member must be placed in the exact location on the back of the cart top and secured in place. If it is slightly low, the cover will sage. If it is slightly high, the cover will be over-stretched. The problem is compounded with the wide variety of cart tops. Yet still another disadvantage with having to mount the top edge of the golf cart canopy to the top of the golf cart is that the mount is semi-permanent. Often the desire of the cart owner is to remove the rearwardly extending canopy cover during the summer months when less rainfall is expected. When the canopy is removed, the extruded channel generally remains in place leaving an unsightly additional member or is removed leaving holes in the top of the cart.
One attempt to avoid having to use the extruded channel member was U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,647 to Winkler. This invention includes an additional strut on the canopy that is mounted to the same pivotal joint that the rest of the struts are mounted on. However, this strut is not structurally stable since it is only mounted on its very end using a through-bolt. Therefore, the strut tends to wobble side to side and front to back when the cart is moving, leading to unsightly movement of the canopy cover. Winkler discloses attaching this strut to the underneath side of the rear edge of the cart top. This would stabilize the strut, however, it requires drilling holes in the cart top. The holes would be unsightly when the cover is removed, may leak, and can lead to the cart top cracking. In addition, the drilling process makes it difficult to properly install the cover and devalues the cart. Yet another disadvantage of the invention of Winkler is that many golf cart tops do not have a convenient area underneath the top to secure the top strut of the canopy. Therefore, there is not a direct way to secure the top strut of Winkler to the underneath side of the golf cart top on many golf carts.
The present invention provides a rearwardly extending canopy assembly for golf carts that is stable and does not require attachment to the golf cart top. The present invention includes a front strut that attaches to the golf cart""s frame or golf bag support bracket to provide structural support for the top edge of the canopy. Therefore, the present invention provides a rearwardly extending canopy cover that is simple to install and remove, does not require holes in the cart top for installation, does not leak and can be utilized on a wide variety of golf carts.